Friday was fourth bank robbery of 2009

Published: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 4:24 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 4:24 p.m.

It's not uncommon when a robber holds up a business in Tuscaloosa. But it is uncommon when that business is a bank.

There have been four bank robberies in Tuscaloosa this year -- three that authorities believe were committed by the same man. There were just two last year, none in 2007 and three in 2006.

The most recent was early Friday afternoon, when a man with black paint on his face and a white rag over his head gave tellers at the RBC Centura bank branch on Skyland and McFarland boulevards a note demanding money.

He made it out of the store with a bag of cash, but he didn't make it far. An orange dye pack inside the bag activated before he threw it out a window just a few hundred yards east on Highway 82, in front of the Motel 6.

Tuscaloosa FBI Special Agent Charles Dorsey said that it's deterrents like the dye pack and good surveillance cameras that might make robbers unlikely to hit a bank. Bank robbers usually net less than $1,000, he said, and face a possible three to five year prison sentence if caught, making the risks outweigh a potential payoff.

'They finally figured out that it's not worth going into a federally insured institution,' he said.

Dorsey, who worked in the Washington D.C. area for around 10 years in the 1980s and 1990s, said that the FBI office there investigated around a dozen bank robberies each month.

'In my experience, bank robbers are typically drug users who have to have money,' he said.

Tuscaloosa Police Capt. Phil Simpson, commander of the department's Criminal Investigations Division, said that bank robberies are down nationwide. He echoed a statement he made when interviewed last month for a Tuscaloosa News story about shoplifting

'When we solve a bank robber and talk to the suspect, we find that they're not purchasing life necessities. They money is spent on frivolous luxuries; this has nothing to do with meeting their daily needs,' he said. 'It's often something they're doing to fund a drug or gambling habit.'

An Arizona man plead guilty in federal court last year to robbing eight financial institutions in four states, including a credit union in Tuscaloosa. George Cuthbertson said that he stole to support his gambling habit.

Dorsey said that repeat robbers like Cuthbertson and the man authorities say has robbed the Indian Hills branch of Cadence Bank on McFarland Boulevard three times this year are rare.

'True serial bank robbers are few and far between,' he said.

The man suspected of robbing Cadence Bank is in his late 30s or early 40s, stands 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches, and weighs between 200 and 220 pounds. The man who escaped after robbing the RBC Centura Bank on Friday was heavyset and wearing At the time of the robbery, the robber was wearing a plaid shirt and blue jeans with paint on them.

Anyone with any information about any of the robberies is asked to call the Tuscaloosa Police Department at 205-349-2121 or the Tuscaloosa FBI office at 205-758-4277. People can call CrimeStoppers anonymously at 205-752-STOP (7687).

There were 2,776 bank robberies reported in the United States during the fist six months of this year, according to FBI statistics. Nearly $21 million has been stolen and only $3.4 million has been recovered. There were just 22 bank robberies in Alabama during the first half of 2009 and 97 statewide in 2008.

Nationwide, the FBI investigated the robberies of 6,700 financial institutions, including banks, mutual savings banks, savings and loans associations and credit unions in 2008. Cash, securities, checks, food stamps and other property totalling $61.9 million was stolen in these robberies. Only 19 percent – $8.9 million – was recovered.

Most of the robberies happened on Fridays. Mornings were the most common time on all days, with most robberies happening between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

<p>It's not uncommon when a robber holds up a business in Tuscaloosa. But it is uncommon when that business is a bank.</p><p>There have been four bank robberies in Tuscaloosa this year -- three that authorities believe were committed by the same man. There were just two last year, none in 2007 and three in 2006.</p><p>The most recent was early Friday afternoon, when a man with black paint on his face and a white rag over his head gave tellers at the RBC Centura bank branch on Skyland and McFarland boulevards a note demanding money.</p><p>He made it out of the store with a bag of cash, but he didn't make it far. An orange dye pack inside the bag activated before he threw it out a window just a few hundred yards east on Highway 82, in front of the Motel 6.</p><p>Tuscaloosa FBI Special Agent Charles Dorsey said that it's deterrents like the dye pack and good surveillance cameras that might make robbers unlikely to hit a bank. Bank robbers usually net less than $1,000, he said, and face a possible three to five year prison sentence if caught, making the risks outweigh a potential payoff.</p><p>'They finally figured out that it's not worth going into a federally insured institution,' he said.</p><p>Dorsey, who worked in the Washington D.C. area for around 10 years in the 1980s and 1990s, said that the FBI office there investigated around a dozen bank robberies each month. </p><p>'In my experience, bank robbers are typically drug users who have to have money,' he said.</p><p>Tuscaloosa Police Capt. Phil Simpson, commander of the department's Criminal Investigations Division, said that bank robberies are down nationwide. He echoed a statement he made when interviewed last month for a Tuscaloosa News story about shoplifting</p><p>'When we solve a bank robber and talk to the suspect, we find that they're not purchasing life necessities. They money is spent on frivolous luxuries; this has nothing to do with meeting their daily needs,' he said. 'It's often something they're doing to fund a drug or gambling habit.'</p><p>An Arizona man plead guilty in federal court last year to robbing eight financial institutions in four states, including a credit union in Tuscaloosa. George Cuthbertson said that he stole to support his gambling habit. </p><p>Dorsey said that repeat robbers like Cuthbertson and the man authorities say has robbed the Indian Hills branch of Cadence Bank on McFarland Boulevard three times this year are rare.</p><p>'True serial bank robbers are few and far between,' he said.</p><p>The man suspected of robbing Cadence Bank is in his late 30s or early 40s, stands 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches, and weighs between 200 and 220 pounds. The man who escaped after robbing the RBC Centura Bank on Friday was heavyset and wearing At the time of the robbery, the robber was wearing a plaid shirt and blue jeans with paint on them.</p><p>Anyone with any information about any of the robberies is asked to call the Tuscaloosa Police Department at 205-349-2121 or the Tuscaloosa FBI office at 205-758-4277. People can call CrimeStoppers anonymously at 205-752-STOP (7687).</p><p>There were 2,776 bank robberies reported in the United States during the fist six months of this year, according to FBI statistics. Nearly $21 million has been stolen and only $3.4 million has been recovered. There were just 22 bank robberies in Alabama during the first half of 2009 and 97 statewide in 2008.</p><p>Nationwide, the FBI investigated the robberies of 6,700 financial institutions, including banks, mutual savings banks, savings and loans associations and credit unions in 2008. Cash, securities, checks, food stamps and other property totalling $61.9 million was stolen in these robberies. Only 19 percent – $8.9 million – was recovered.</p><p>Most of the robberies happened on Fridays. Mornings were the most common time on all days, with most robberies happening between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.</p><p>Reach Stephanie Taylor at stephanie.taylor@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0210.</p>